Drury Drama Team Staging 'Cuckoo's Nest'

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Carlee Huttle plays dictatorial Nurse Ratched in the Drury Drama Team production of 'Cuckoo's Nest.'
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Drury Drama Team opens its 24th season this week with three performances of the American 1960s counterculture classic "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

Curtain time is 7 p.m. in the Drury High School theater on Wednesday, Nov. 16, Friday, Nov. 18, and Saturday, Nov. 19. Tickets are $6 for students and $9 for general admission and can be purchased at the door.

This play contains scenes of violence and only children age 11 and older will be admitted.

The performances are in honor of sophomore Anna Arabia and are dedicated to Michael R. Grogan II, who died in April. A Drury Drama Team alum, he was a co-founder of Mill City Productions in North Adams and worked with Barrington Stage Company's KIDSACT during the summer. His last performance at Drury was the 1998 production of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

The 1963 stage adaptation by Dale Wasserman, based on Ken Kesey's 1962 novel of the same title, is directed by Dr. Len Radin, district theater coordinator. Set in an Oregon psychiatric hospital, the male mental patients are divided into "acutes," who can be cured, and "chronics," who cannot.

Played by Carlee Huttle, Nurse Ratched, a former Army nurse, runs the ward with harsh, mechanical precision becoming the very definition of abuse of power. Luke Sisto portrays the swaggering Randle Patrick McMurphy, who faked insanity to serve out his prison sentence and valiantly attempts to improve the lot of the state hospital psychiatric patients. Robert Scanlon plays the role of Chief Bromden, who is paranoid and dominated by his fear of a huge conglomeration that controls society and forces people into conformity.

Other cast members are: Nick Burchard as Dale Harding; Brandon Digennaro as Anthony Martini; Becky Durant as Aide Warren; Emily Eastman as Charles Atkins Cheswick III; Matt Gardzina as Frank Scanlon; Lindsey Gray as Nurse Flinn; Emma Gregory as Candy; Cameron Lapine as Billy Bibbitt; Johnathon Levesque as Aide Williams; Brittany Lutz as Sandy; Christa Sprague as Ruckley; and Monica Thomas as Dr. Spivey. Special guest Marianne Santelli is Col. Materson and Chelsea Shetterly is Ellis.

Emma Arabia, Jimmy Montgomery, Michaella Vecchiarelli and Richard Santelli are technicians. AnnaMaria Sebastino is stage manager. Set design is by Ron and Tiger Waterman and det construction by Jesse Poirier. Lauren Skiffington is helping with makeup.
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Clarksburg Sees Race for Select Board Seat

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The town will see a three-way race for a seat on the Select Board in May. 
 
Colton Andrews, Seth Alexander and Bryana Malloy returned papers by Wednesday's deadline to run for the three-year term vacated by Jeffrey Levanos. 
 
Andrews ran unsuccessfully for School Committee and is former chairman of the North Adams Housing Authority, on which he was a union representative. He is also president of the Pioneer Valley Building Trades Council.
 
Malloy and Alexander are both newcomers to campaigning. Malloy is manager of industrial relations for the Berkshire Workforce Board and Alexander is a resident of Gates Avenue. 
 
Alexander also returned papers for several other offices, including School Committee, moderator, library trustee and the five-year seat on the Planning Board. He took out papers for War Memorial trustee and tree warden but did not return them and withdrew a run for Board of Health. 
 
He will face off in the three-year School Committee seat against incumbent Cynthia Brule, who is running for her third term, and fellow newcomer Bonnie Cunningham for library trustee. 
 
Incumbent Ronald Boucher took out papers for a one-year term as moderator but did not return them. He was appointed by affirmation in 2021 when no won ran and accepted the post again last year as a write-in.
 
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